A reformulation of the one-dimensional surface field integral equations

By starting from the matrix forms of the two coupled, inhomogeneous integral equations for the values of the magnetic field and its normal derivative on a one-dimensional, rough metal surface, or for the values of the electric field and its normal derivative on such a surface, we have obtained an equivalent pair of equations for these quantities in which the inhomogeneous terms are just the Kirchhoff approximations to them. The new pair of equations for the surface values of the magnetic field and its normal derivative is solved iteratively to generate a multiple-scattering expansion for the scattering amplitude when p-polarized light is scattered from a large RMS height, large RMS slope, one-dimensional, random silver surface, with the plane of incidence perpendicular to the generators of the surface. It is shown that the Kirchhoff approximation to the contribution to the mean differential reflection coefficient from the incoherent component of the scattered light displays no evidence of enhanced backscattering. However, the pure double-scattering contribution already displays this effect, stamping it as a multiple-scattering phenomenon.     

Enhanced backscattering in a magnetic field

Abstract

By means of numerical simulations the authors study the scattering of a beam of p-polarized light from a small RMS slope one-dimensional random surface on a semi-infinite metal or n-type semiconductor to which a constant magnetic field is applied. The surface is defined by the equation x ₃=ξ(x ₁), where the surface profile function ξ(x ₁) is a stationary stochastic Gaussian process. The plane of incidence is the x ₁ x ₃ plane, and the magnetic field is directed along the x ₂-axis. In the presence of the magnetic field the dispersion curve for the surface polaritons supported by the surface in the absence of the random roughness becomes non-reciprocal, i.e. the wavenumber k ₊(ω) for a surface polariton of frequency ω propagating in the +x ₁-direction is unequal to the (magnitude of the) wavenumber k _?(ω) for a surface polariton of the same frequency propagating in the ?x ₁-direction. As a consequence of this they find that the peak in the angular distribution of the intensity of the incoherent component of the scattered light that is observed in the retroreflection direction in the absence of the magnetic field—enhanced backscattering—is shifted in the direction of larger scattering angles with increasing magnetic field strength. At the same time the width of the peak increases and its amplitude decreases. When the frequency of the incident light is high enough that the dispersion curve for surface polaritons on the planar surface becomes completely non-reciprocal, i.e. the surface polariton propagates only in the +x ₁-direction but not in the ?x ₁-direction, the enhanced backscattering is completely suppressed. These results are interpreted as being due to the breakdown of the coherency between a given light/surface polariton path that contributes to backscattering and its time-reversed partner, caused by the removal of time-reversal symmetry from the scattering system by the application of the external magnetic field. They provide strong evidence for the fundamenlal role played by surface polaritons in the enhanced backscattering of light from small RMS slope random surfaces.     

Pulse broadening of enhanced backscattering from rough surfaces

Abstract

Recently, we presented a study of pulse scattering by rough surfaces based on the first-order Kirchhoff approximation which is applicable to rough surfaces with RMS slope less than 0.5 and correlation distance l?λ. However, there has been an increased interest in enhanced backscattering from rough surfaces, study of which requires inclusion of the second-order Kirchhoff approximation with shadowing corrections. This paper presents a theory for the two-frequency mutual coherence function in this region and shows that the multiple scattering on the surface gives rise to an additional pulse tail in the direction of enhanced backscattering. The theory predicts pulse broadening approximately 20% greater than that caused by single scattering alone for a delta-function incident pulse and typical surface parameters. Analytical results are compared with Monte Carlo simulations and millimetre-wave experiments for the one-dimensional rough surface with RMS height 1λ and correlation distance 1λ, showing good agreement.     

Enhanced backscattering in a magnetic field

By means of numerical simulations the authors study the scattering of a beam of p-polarized light from a small RMS slope one-dimensional random surface on a semi-infinite metal or n-type semiconductor to which a constant magnetic field is applied. The surface is defined by the equation x₃=ξ(x₁), where the surface profile function ξ(x₁) is a stationary stochastic Gaussian process. The plane of incidence is the x₁x₃ plane, and the magnetic field is directed along the x₂-axis. In the presence of the magnetic field the dispersion curve for the surface polaritons supported by the surface in the absence of the random roughness becomes non-reciprocal, i.e. the wavenumber k₊(ω) for a surface polariton of frequency ω propagating in the +x₁-direction is unequal to the (magnitude of the) wavenumber k_-(ω) for a surface polariton of the same frequency propagating in the -x₁-direction. As a consequence of this they find that the peak in the angular distribution of the intensity of the incoherent component of the scattered light that is observed in the retroreflection direction in the absence of the magnetic field—enhanced backscattering—is shifted in the direction of larger scattering angles with increasing magnetic field strength. At the same time the width of the peak increases and its amplitude decreases. When the frequency of the incident light is high enough that the dispersion curve for surface polaritons on the planar surface becomes completely non-reciprocal, i.e. the surface polariton propagates only in the +x₁-direction but not in the -x₁-direction, the enhanced backscattering is completely suppressed. These results are interpreted as being due to the breakdown of the coherency between a given light/surface polariton path that contributes to backscattering and its time-reversed partner, caused by the removal of time-reversal symmetry from the scattering system by the application of the external magnetic field. They provide strong evidence for the fundamenlal role played by surface polaritons in the enhanced backscattering of light from small RMS slope random surfaces.     

Measurements of light scattering by a characterized random rough surface

Abstract

Measurements are presented of the angular distribution of four wavelengths of light scattered by a one-dimensional random rough surface, whose probability density function is Gaussian with a standard deviation σ=1.22±0.02 μm and whose lateral correlation function is also Gaussian with 1/e width τ=3.17±0.07 μm. The wavelengths used are 0.63, 1.15, 3.39 and 10.6 μm. The surface is used in two forms: coated with gold and as an almost lossless dielectric. The results are compared to those predicted by a double scattering form of the Kirchhoff formulation. Agreement is good at small angles of incidence but less good at larger angles of incidence.     

A reciprocal phase-perturbation theory for rough-surface scattering

Abstract

We study the scattering of a scalar plane wave from a two-dimensional, randomly rough surface, on which the Dirichlet boundary condition is satisfied. The scattering amplitude is obtained in the form of the Fourier transform of an exponential, in which the exponent is written as an expansion in powers of the surface profile function. It is shown that the latter expansion can be written in such a way that the corresponding scattering matrix is manifestly reciprocal. Numerical results for the reflectivity, and for the contribution to the mean differential reflection coefficient from the incoherent component of the scattered field, are obtained and compared with the predictions of small-amplitude perturbation theory and the Kirchhoff approximation. As the wavelength of the incident wave is varied continuously the results of the phase-perturbation theory change continuously from those of the small-amplitude perturbation theory to those of the Kirchhoff approximation.     

Multiple scattering of ultrasound in weakly inhomogeneous media: application to human soft tissues

Waves scattered by a weakly inhomogeneous random medium contain a predominant single-scattering contribution as well as a multiple-scattering contribution which is usually neglected, especially for imaging purposes. A method based on random matrix theory is proposed to separate the single- and multiple-scattering contributions. The experimental setup uses an array of sources/receivers placed in front of the medium. The impulse responses between every couple of transducers are measured and form a matrix. Single-scattering contributions are shown to exhibit a deterministic coherence along the antidiagonals of the array response matrix, whatever the distribution of inhomogeneities. This property is taken advantage of to discriminate single- from multiple-scattered waves. This allows one to evaluate the absorption losses and the scattering losses separately, by comparing the multiple-scattering intensity with a radiative transfer model. Moreover, the relative contribution of multiple scattering in the backscattered wave can be estimated, which serves as a validity test for the Born approximation. Experimental results are presented with ultrasonic waves in the megahertz range, on a synthetic sample (agar-gelatine gel) as well as on breast tissues. Interestingly, the multiple-scattering contribution is found to be far from negligible in the breast around 4.3 MHz.     

Numerical,analytical, and experimental studies of scattering from very rough surfaces and backscattering enhancement

Abstract

This paper Presents numerical simulations, theoretical analysis, and millimeter wave experiments for scattering from one-dimensional very rough surfaces. First, numerical simulations are used to investigate the effects of roughness spectrum, height variation, interface medium, polarization, and incident angle on the backscattering enhancement. The enhanced backscattering due to rough surface scattering is divided into two cases; the RMS height close to a wavelength and RMS slope close to unity, and RMS height much smaller than a wavelength with surface wave contributions. Results also show that the enhancement is sensitive to the roughness spectrum. Next, a theory based on the first- and second-order Kirchhoff approximation modified with angular and propagation shadowing is developed. The theoretical solutions provide a physical explanation of backscattering enhancement and agree well with the numerical results. In addition to the scattering of a monochromatic wave, the analytical results of the broadening and lateral spreading of a pulsed beam wave scattering from rough surfaces are also discussed. Finally, the existence of backscattering enhancement from one-dimensional very rough conducting surfaces with exact Gaussian statistics and Gaussian roughness spectrum is verified by a millimeter-wave experiment. Experimental results which show enhanced backscattering for both TE and TM polarizations for different angles of incidence are presented.     

Magnetostatic surface waves produced by an inhomogeneity of the anisotropy with a turning point of the spectral function on a ferromagnet surface

Magnetostatic surface waves with fixed frequency and wave vector are predicted to exist in a ferromagnet with an inhomogeneity of the magnetic anisotropy such that the spectral function has a turning point on the surface. This result is most important for the case when an external magnetic field magnetizes the ferromagnet perpendicular to its surface. The frequency of the surface wave is determined by the frequency of the magnetostatic volume wave at the surface of the ferromagnet, and the wave vector is determined by the surface values of the local magnetic anisotropy field and its derivative. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 68, 118–123 (June 1998)     

随机表面散射光场的格林函数法与基尔霍夫近似的比较

从简谐光波满足的亥姆霍兹方程出发，将由格林定理得到的介质分界面上的积分方程转化为以表面上的光波及其导数为未知量的线性方程组，并对其进行数值求解，实现了光场的数值计算. 同时，由透射光场的格林函数积分得出了基尔霍夫近似下光场的表达式. 通过类比推导夫琅和费面上散斑场自相关函数的方法，提出了产生随机表面及其导数的傅里叶变换方法. 在此基础上，对采用基尔霍夫近似进行自仿射分形随机表面的散射光场数值计算的精确程度进行了研究. 发现在随机表面粗糙度比较小时，基尔霍夫近似的精度比较高；在粗糙度相同的情况下，表面的分形 关键词： 格林函数积分 基尔霍夫近似 自仿射分形随机表面     

Theoretical and experimental study of blurring of a femtosecond laser pulse in a turbid medium

We propose an analytical model of the spatio-temporal structure of a short laser pulse transmitted through a layer of an optically inhomogeneous medium with high anisotropy of scattering. The light-field brightness in the medium is represented as a finite series in terms of multiplicities of the small-angle scattering, while the contribution from the higher-order scattering is allowed for as a quasi-diffuse component. The scattered-pulse structure is calculated on the basis of solving the radiative-transfer equation in the small-angle approximation with allowance for the effect of multipath light propagation. Compared with the first approximation of the multiple-scattering theory (attenuated nonscattered light plus the diffuse component), this approach makes it possible to describe more correctly the transformation of the spatio-angular distribution of light in the medium when passing from the single-scattering to multiple-scattering regime, as well as specify the temporal profile of the scattered pulse. The temporal profile of the femtosecond pulse transmitted through a layer of model scattering medium with various concentrations of scatterers is studied experimentally. The blurred-pulse structure is studied with the help of nonlinear optical gating in the case of noncollinear generation of the second harmonic. Good agreement between the theoretical and experimental time profiles of the scattered pulse is shown for the optical-thickness intervals corresponding to both the predominantly low multiplicity scattering and multiple small-angle scattering, which allows us to use the proposed analytical model for solving the inverse problem of the pulse sounding of a homogeneous turbid medium. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 51, No. 4, pp. 333–348, April 2008.     

Pulse broadening of enhanced backscattering from rough surfaces

Recently, we presented a study of pulse scattering by rough surfaces based on the first-order Kirchhoff approximation which is applicable to rough surfaces with RMS slope less than 0.5 and correlation distance l≳λ. However, there has been an increased interest in enhanced backscattering from rough surfaces, study of which requires inclusion of the second-order Kirchhoff approximation with shadowing corrections. This paper presents a theory for the two-frequency mutual coherence function in this region and shows that the multiple scattering on the surface gives rise to an additional pulse tail in the direction of enhanced backscattering. The theory predicts pulse broadening approximately 20% greater than that caused by single scattering alone for a delta-function incident pulse and typical surface parameters. Analytical results are compared with Monte Carlo simulations and millimetre-wave experiments for the one-dimensional rough surface with RMS height 1λ and correlation distance 1λ, showing good agreement.     

On the far field in the Lorenz-Mie theory and T-matrix formulation

The far field within the context of the Lorenz-Mie theory and the T-matrix formulation is usually expressed on the basis of the asymptotic properties of vector spherical waves. The radiation condition is taken into account by employing proper vector spherical functions as the expansion basis of the scattered field. The asymptotic behavior of the Hankel function is obtained from differential equations. The asymptotic far field can also be obtained from the Kirchhoff surface integral equation, in which the radiation condition has been implemented when it is derived from the Maxwell equations. This note is to present an explicit establishment of the relationship between the asymptotic far field and the near field in the Lorenz-Mie theory and the T-matrix formulation through the Kirchhoff surface integral.     

Light scattering in cholesteric liquid crystals with a large pitch

Optical properties of cholesteric liquid crystals with a pitch larger than the wavelength of light are considered. Normal waves of the medium and the Green function of the electromagnetic field are analyzed. A general algorithm based on the application of the Kirchhoff method is proposed for calculating the scattered light intensity in media with a one-dimensional periodic structure. The WKB vector method is used for calculating the spatial correlation function of thermal fluctuations of the director. It is found that the transformation of two fluctuation modes takes place is some regions. The angular and polarization dependences of the intensity of light scattered from fluctuations of the director are calculated. It is found, in particular, that the intensity of scattering is a nonmonotonic function of the size of the system.     

Multiple light scattering from a moving layer of Brownian particles: comparison with a rigid phase screen

Abstract

The temporal fluctuations in the intensity of light scattered by a moving layer of emulsions and suspensions containing Brownian particles are investigated experimentally, and a comparison is made with light scattered by a translating phase screen. The intensity fluctuations of the scattered light are detected through an imaging system, which collects the light emanating only from a limited volume in the medium. The effect of translational motion of the particle layer on the decay rate of the autocorrelation function of intensity fluctuations depends on the illuminating form of a laser beam and on the point spread function of the imaging system. The Brownian motion of the particles causes the scattered light to fluctuate more rapidly than that arising from the translating phase screen. In the multiple-scattering regime, the influence of this diffusional motion increases with an increase of the particle concentration in the layer.     

The modified Beckmann–Kirchhoff scattering theory for surface characteristics in-process measurement

This paper focuses on how the scattering theory can be applied to the analysis of the surface characteristics in an in-process optical measurement. The mean scattered intensity distributions from a surface without and with the additional layers are presented based on the modified Beckmann–Kirchhoff scattering theory. The results show that the introduction of the additional layers only affects rough surfaces. The light scattered from a rough surface under the additional layers seems to be scattered from a bare rough surface with a different surface parameter in the small angle approximation. The experiment is conducted with pixel gray value measurement along the main direction of light scattering stripe to verify the theoretical analysis. The experimental curves can well fit the proposed model, which testifies the correction of the modified Beckmann–Kirchhoff scattering theory.     

Magnetooptical Kerr effect in the near field of a nanowire supporting surface plasmons

In terms of Green’s functions, a theory is developed describing the resonant magnetooptical Kerr effect in light scattering by a linear probe that is parallel to the surface of a magnet and placed at a subwavelength distance from it. The probe is supposed to be a metal nanowire supporting long-lived surface plasmons and forming the near field of the “probe + image” complex. The resonant interaction between the probe and the sample is taken into account within a self-consistent approximation of multiple-scattering theory, and the magnetooptical interaction is included in the linear approximation in magnetization. The problem of scanning near-field magnetooptical microscopy with a linear probe is solved analytically in the case where the magnetization is parallel to both the magnet surface and the plane of incidence of light (longitudinal magnetooptical Kerr effect). The polarization, spectral, and angular characteristics of scattered light modulated by magnetization are discussed. It is shown that the magnetooptical modulation of the scattered light intensity is significantly enhanced when surface plasmons are resonantly excited in the nanowire.     

Magnetic field tomography

Neutral atoms may be trapped via the interaction of their magnetic dipole moment with magnetic field gradients. One of the possible schemes is the cloverleaf trap. It is often desirable to have at hand a fast and precise technique for measuring the magnetic field distribution. We use for instantaneous imaging the equipotential lines of the magnetic field a diagnostic tool which is based on spatially resolved observation of the fluorescence emitted by a hot beam of sodium atoms crossing a thin slice of resonant laser light within the magnetic field region to be investigated. The inhomogeneous magnetic field spatially modulates the resonance condition between the Zeeman-shifted hyperfine sublevels and the laser light and therefore the amount of scattered photons. We apply this technique for mapping the field of our cloverleaf trap in three dimensions under various conditions. Received 20 March 2001 and Received in final form 12 May 2001     

Apparent and real roughness

Some works have studied the light scattering from a rough surface immersed in a liquid, where the light scattered from the immersed rough surface was assumed to be equivalent to that scattered from a fictitious rough surface with a different texture. This work deals with this kind of problems analyzing the light scattered by a reflecting strong scatterer and the light scattered by a rough surface immersed in a transparent liquid. The general Kirchhoff solution for scattering from a rough surface has been used.It is shown that under certain conditions, the mean scattered intensity (MSI) from a surface immersed in a liquid can be quasi-indistinguishable from that scattered from a non-immersed surface with an “equivalent texture”. An expression relating the equivalent texture and the immersed surface texture was obtained.The results of this work allow to evaluate the characteristics of any surface immersed in a liquid with a known refractive index.